Femme1 discovers a bundle of new retro tiles for our decorating arsenal!
Mid Mod Pam on Aug 06 2008 at 8:00 am | Filed under: flooring
Femme1 — aka Deb — is right on target with this complete post, that flooring seems to be one of our hottest topics right now. She’s found some great new solutions - and I didn’t have to change a word. I did, however, add some additional pics of more Fritztiles - including a Royal Pink that’s yum yum yummy! Thanks, Deb!
Hi Pam,
Because I’m STILL unable to decide which flooring to put in my kitchen (going on 2½ years now), I’ve been searching again all over the Web for possibilities. I saw a few that could work for a 50s/60s house and thought I’d pass them along because this is always such a hot topic on your blog.
Amtico is a UK company, but they do sell (and manufacture) here in the states. They have one resilient tile pattern (Linear) in several colors that I think might work. It has a little bit of a grasscloth look; it definitely is more modern in design than the striations of the Azrock Cortina, and therefore, perhaps not as “authentic.” See what you think. The U.S. toll-free number for Amtico is 800-370-7324, where you can get a list of U.S. dealers. Some Amtico flooring is available on the discount http://www.fastfloors.com/ site, but not the Linear pattern.
It’s a little difficult to search for examples on their Web site, so I’m actually going to give you links to all the different colors available:
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearMochaLA42?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearOliveLA18?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearGraphiteLA33?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearChalkLA11?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearVanillaLA15?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/LinearShaleLA31?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
They also carry a pattern called “Stardust,” which has little sparklies in a solid tile, similar to the 50’s laminate with gold sparkles (except these are silver). The colors may not be right for midcentury houses, though…I think you’d have to see a real sample.
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/StardustMintGZ891?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
http://www.amtico.com/en-GB/Business/NorthAmerica/Products/StardustRedGZ539?psvsl=1&psvnv=12&psvbr=2&fcpm=psv
And now, for my favorite! I recently added a comment about this resilient terrazzo floor tiles under one of the posts from a while back when we were discussing terrazzo. Fritztile (http://www.fritztile.com/ ) makes a commercial tile (also for residential use) that is 1/8” thick and not quite 12” square and can be applied just like VCT tiles (using other adhesives), and can be a DIY project. Their Classic CL 200 series, to me, matches the 50s look of terrazzo more than their other lines, especially those that have a white background matrix (the clear matrix seems too comtemporary to me). So it’s much more practical (and a lot less expensive) than having a real terrazzo floor poured and polished. And it has a 20-year guarantee. Here are the examples I think would go in a 50s house best:
http://www.fritztile.com/cl200/index.htm#
http://www.fritztile.com/cl200/index.htm#
http://www.fritztile.com/cl200/index.htm#
http://www.fritztile.com/cl200/index.htm#
There are more colors available in the other lines, but they have a more modern look to them and include larger pieces of granite in the matrix.
Although this stuff is not cheap, the best thing is that it’s available from http://www.fastfloors.com at a discount (@ $6.00 sq ft, about half the retail prices, although yesterday it was listed in the same place for $5.75!).
I think I’m going to go with the soft gray for my kitchen, that is, unless I change my mind again!
Deb (Femme1)
Wow … I love that tile! I had never seen it before, and I am also on the hunt for a good kitchen floor tile. Thanks for the links!
Hi guys! I have an update on the Fritztile. On their website, you can order free samples, and I got mine in four days! The soft gray, earthtones-WM, and winter brown are all winners (in the Classic CL-200 line). I didn’t ask for the pink that Pam likes, unfortunately!
I also got a couple of samples of their Vibrant Pearl line, and they could work too, depending on how glitzy you want to go! By the way, the samples are 3-inch squares.
My husband likes the earthtones and I’m leaning toward the soft gray, and he’ll be the one installing it!
Cheers!
Deb
So what do these tiles feel like under foot? Not sure what “reslient tile” is. Is that like vinyl? I think they look great.
Would you prefer something like this or Marmoleum in a retro-style kitchen? I like Marmoleum because it’s a green product…
Hi dcgirl, these would be like vinyl tiles underfoot - very comfortable. The tiles in this post have a more ‘modern’ look to me, at least, and would be good in 50s or 60s homes that swing that way. Although I think we saw terrazzo going way back - I’d put that in any basement or living area, really. Marmoleum and Armstrong linoleum, on the other hand, deliver more of a 40s or early 50s look. As the 50s moved on, you saw consumers moving away from linoleum with its marbleized look, to other textures especially those iconic streaky tiles (there are several still available today - search Flooring and I may have this in Basics as well. Azrock Cortina, Congoleum come to mind.) Also popular as time continued: Vinyl sheet, like those bricks - some examples of that are still for sale today, also search the site.
Linoleum is indeed green, made from linseed oil and cork, and I think these makers will tell you that there is no (or less) off-gassing. Relative to vinyl or VCT, though, I’ll say that - the oil and gas are comin’ out of the ground, there’s no stoppin’ that - so we might as well put the byproducts to good use.
Hey dcgrl…thanks for the reminder about going green with the flooring. I’ve spent a good deal of energy moving toward a petroleum-free existence, so I guess it would be silly to put a petro product on my floor! I’ll be sure to pay more attention from now on (though I’m a long way from floor shopping).
[...] with all the horse motifs with their greco-roman styling. And, the the mock-marble laminates - and faux-terrazzo flooring. All I have to do is hint, and Palm Springs Stephan has some wonderful [...]
I ordered the stardust mint and stardust black floor tiles to go with the boomerang laminate that will soon cover the cabinetry. Totally psyched. The tile is extra cool not only because it’ll last a long time (20 year warranty if you use their special, not expensive glue) but also because the glitter in the tile is kind of holographic. I recommend getting a sample sent to you so you can see for yourself. I searched hi and lo for glitter tiles and these are the only ones I’ve found. They will be installed soon! Jeannine